Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Rules!

(Before I get to the rules, a quick request for volunteers. The goal for the league is to keep accurate stats. I can keep book in the games I'm not playing, so for this week I need someone to cover the scoreboard in each game, and someone to keep stats- points only- in the second game. If you can help out, even for a game, give me a shout.

-Shane)

Grand Army Basketball League RULES

Time:

*Halves will be 18 minutes apiece, running time. The clock will stop at every whistle under the 2-minute mark of the second half only.

*There will be no shot clock. However, stalling is frowned upon. If a team is suspected of stalling, a 30-second shot clock may be instituted at the request of the opposing team, referee, or timekeeper.

Fouls:

*The 1-and-1 bonus and 2-shot double bonus rules will be in effect. After 7 team fouls, the opposing team will be awarded a 1-and-1 bonus free throw opportunity. After 10 fouls, the opposing team will be awarded a 2-shot double bonus.

*A player has 10 seconds to shoot a free throw. Stall tactics will result in a technical foul against the offender.

*In a foul shot situation, all players except the shooter (and any player outside the three-point line) may leave their position when the ball is released. The shooter (and any player outside the three-point line) may not leave until the ball makes contact with the basket.

*When a player commits his 6th personal foul, he will be ejected from the game. 2 technical fouls also results in an ejection, though the referee may eject a player one technical at his discretion. A single technical foul also counts as a personal foul, and counts toward the team foul total for bonus purposes.

EXCEPTION: If a team can field only 5 players, or has been reduced to 5 players as a result of previous ejections, a player cannot foul out. Therefore, a player’s 6th personal foul (and every foul thereafter) will result in a technical foul PLUS the result of the foul. That is, two technical shots plus a) possession, b) 2 foul shots, c) 1-and-1, or d) the double bonus, depending on the situation.

COROLLARY: If one team can field only five players, the opposing team may choose to abide by either set of rules. That is, a player committing his sixth personal foul may either be ejected, or he or she can stay in the game and the team will be assessed a technical foul.

Timeouts:

*Each time will have 3 timeouts per game, to be used whenever they see fit.

Halfcourt:

*There will be no back court (over-and-back) violation. There will be no 10-second (or 8-second) violation.

Other Violations:

*Other basketball violations, such as travelling, double dribble, palming, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc. will be assessed as usual. The referee may also call a flagrant or intentional foul at his discretion. The penalty for these infractions will be two foul shots plus possession. A flagrant foul will result in an automatic ejection, but an intentional foul will not.

Basket Fixtures:

*Any ball which hits the black support structures extending above the basket will be considered out-of-bounds.

*Any ball which hits the top of the backboard will be considered out-of-bounds.

*Any ball which hits the side of the backboard will be considered in play.

Overtime:

Overtime sessions will be 2 minutes long, with the clock stopping at every whistle. In the extremely unlikely event that a game is still tied after two overtime sessions, a regular season game will be declared a tie.

Ejections:

*Any player ejected from a game due to technical or flagrant fouls may be subject to further suspension at the discretion of the league. As someone who has been ejected from a game in the past due to bad behavior, I don’t anticipate that this will ever be necessary, even in the case of a single ejection. Things happen. In extreme cases, however, a player may be subject to a multi-game suspension or even be kicked out of the league. Be nice to the refs and each other, please.

The Rules:

*I’ve just written these from scratch. If I’ve forgotten anything, or if you have any questions, please contact me. As far as I’m concerned, they’re also open to debate. If you can present a compelling argument as to why there should be a 10-second violation, for example, I’m very willing to listen.